[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 100 (Thursday, July 27, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPLETION OF THE KENMORE 
                       HOTEL RESTORATION PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
first anniversary of the complete restoration of the Kenmore Hotel. The 
hotel's story is a remarkable tale of cooperation between many 
different levels of government, NPOs, and private industry in the name 
of helping those citizens who most desperately need our assistance.
  In 1927, the Kenmore Hotel was built by the family of Nathaniel West 
as an apartment hotel for working single New Yorkers. Throughout the 
1970s and early 1980s the Kenmore became known as a hotel for the 
``down and out'' and the community witnessed its decent from modest 
respectability to complete squalor. By the middle 1980s, the Kenmore's 
elderly and mentally ill tenants were preyed upon by drug dealers, loan 
sharks, and others engaged in criminal activities. By that time, the 
Kenmore had more than 500 building code violations, it had been the 
scene of multiple tenant murders, and it was, in short, uninhabitable.
  After repeated failed attempts to convince the owner to clean up the 
hotel, I asked the Justice Department to step in. Under the direction 
of Attorney General Janet Reno, the Kenmore was seized in June of 1994, 
becoming the largest asset forfeiture in the history of the federal 
government. The United States Marshal Service, working together with 
the NYPD, carried out the seizure of the Kenmore and became the 
landlord to some 300 tenants. I worked with the Marshal Service and 
tenants to monitor the situation and made sure that the Kenmore 
returned to habitability as quickly as possible.
  Two years later, on July 3, 1996, with $30 Million in hand from 
private investors, public (NYC and NYS) loans, a commercial loan, as 
well as a rent guarantee from NYC and Section 8 Vouchers from the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Housing and Services, Inc. 
(HSI) commenced a complete renovation of the premises. It was only this 
cooperation that enabled construction to begin.
  The 641 single units were converted to 326 studio apartments each 
with a private bath, kitchen, and air conditioning. The tenants are now 
served by a 35 person staff that includes front desk personnel, 
maintenance and repair staff, social workers, and a full time on site 
manager. In addition, HSI brokered agreements with local health 
providers so that there are nurses, psychiatrists, and a myriad of 
other service providers offering on-site assistance to tenants in need. 
On May 4, 1999, I joined HSI, tenants, elected officials and community 
leaders at a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the 
renovations. In honor of the event the building was renamed Kenmore 
Hall.
  This spring HSI and the Kenmore partnered with the 23rd Street 
Association, the GPBA (Gramercy Park Block Association), and the ACE 
Community Partnership to create a community improvement project that 
employs Kenmore tenants and other homeless persons. The project seeks 
to reduce homelessness by providing community improvement work and job 
readiness training for low income men and women. The program prepares 
once homeless men and women to reenter the workforce through community 
enhancement projects in the 23rd Street area, including environmentally 
focused neighborhood cleanup projects.
  The Kenmore Story is one where all parties involved share in its 
success. This project demonstrates the remarkable results that are 
possible when everyone works together to fix a problem that has plagued 
an entire community. Nonprofit organizations, community groups, 
government officials and agencies, and the private sector all worked 
together to clean up the Kenmore and provide decent housing to a 
previously underserved group of tenants. Kenmore Hall has become a 
valuable community asset and a national model of supportive, affordable 
housing. I am proud to report that in my district, multilevel 
cooperation became a reality.

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